


The Perfect System (doesn’t exist)

by ShivaVixen



Category: Tron (Movies), Tron 1982, Tron: Legacy
Genre: Alan may strangle Kevin, Alternate Universe, Bits to the rescue, Clu is not going to be having good cycles, Gen, Lora is not a Hacker, Now with more Power Trios, Theories Abound, Tron and Yori may adopt Sam, alternative universe, and other psychological issues, child endangerment, child!sam - Freeform, god-complex, what’s the difference between Programming and Brainwashing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-19
Packaged: 2021-01-30 18:07:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21432469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShivaVixen/pseuds/ShivaVixen
Summary: In which Alan and Lora take Sam to his dad’s arcade to look for signs of what Kevin was working on. Alan and Sam end up on the grid, while Lora works against a malignant A.I. calling itself CLU 2.0.Kevin’s lucky they love him, or they might actually kill him once this is over.
Relationships: Kevin Flynn & Alan Bradley, Kevin Flynn & Lora Baines-Bradley & Alan Bradley, Kevin Flynn & Sam Flynn, Kevin Flynn & Tron, Lora Baines-Bradley/Alan Bradley, Tron/Yori (Tron)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 19





	1. Lora will murder Kevin later

Lora was going to murder Kevin Flynn. Missing for over a month, then when she and Alan decided to help Sam find something at the arcade, while also trying to figure out what new thing Kevin had been working on, they discovered a hidden staircase (and oh, was she gonna give him a talk about reasonable spending) only for Sam and Alan to get hit by a copy of her laser!

Of course, murdering Kevin would have to wait until after she figured out how to access the damn system. Lora hated hacking, now she had to try and use it to get Sam and Alan back ... Kevin (and she was 70 percent sure he was in the computer as well and that was why he’d gone missing) was going to be optional.

Damn it, as much as she and Alan loved the idiot, she was going to throttle him.

Making sure that the laser would not accidentally hit her should it get set off, she started looking for the programs that should have been there- Kevin asked if he could have copies of Tron and the laser for his own private computer and network- she kept running into a program called CLU 2.0 instead.

The laser suddenly went off, taking a signed baseball. Lora glared at the screen.

“Nice try Clu, now let me access Tron.” Lora glared at the screen as she typed.

One way or another, she was getting her family back. She was a programmer, and much of the system was similar to the ENCOM computers, which she had helped build.

Lora started typing.

**User Request: **

**Access YORI**

**Access Denied **

**Access RAM**

**Access Denied**

**Access TRON**

**Access Denied**

Sooner or later, she’d find the right code or program to help her.

While Lora waged war on the computer, Alan was trying to get Sam off of an actual battlefield.

He had no idea who was who, and resigned himself to just scoop up Sam and rush over to a corridor that he hoped was safety. Lethal frisbees ripped chunks out of people (programs that looked like the videogame Kevin had made and the stories he told Sam ... Alan couldn’t process that at the moment. A frisbee just tried to take off his head)

He was wheezing by the time he cleared the battlefield and set Sam down. Running and carrying weight was not something he was built for and he might have pulled a muscle in his back doing that stunt.

“Hold it right there!” The woman was wielding a staff that was a different color than the one she was wearing. “You- Tron?”

Alan got a good look at her. “No. I’m user Alan one. You must be Yori. You look ...” something exploded. “We need to get out of here.”

“This way. Is that an ISO?”

“No, this is Flynn’s son, Sam. He’s a young user.” Alan was feeling very surreal about following the woman that looked like his wife.

“I helped dad design a program once!” Sam cheerfully informed Yori. “It was fun, I got to learn how to code colors and open doors! Is my dad here? Is he alright? Why didn’t he come home?”

“Slow down the questions, she needs time to answer them.” Alan chuckled.

“He’s in a safe house, he was injured when Clu attacked and derezzed Tron ... it’s been a while since then, but his recovery has been slow. Clu is trying to take over the laser now, that must be how you got here ... he was threatening to bring User Alan here.” Yori explained, then looked up. “My user is calling me, but I can’t answer.”

“Lora’s probably trying to get us out.” Alan sighed. “How do we get out? I assume Flynn had a way out?”

“The laser portal is open for the equivalent of twelve of your hours once activated. But only Flynn has the appropriate disk to leave.” Yori explained. “It’s why Clu attacked him- recognizers!” Yori pulled them into what seemed to be a mix of a warehouse and office building. 

“We stand out a bit, don’t we?” Alan looked at his and Sam’s street clothes compared to Yori’s white and blue outfit, or the black outfits with different color lines that they had seen.

“Yes, but I know someone that can help with that.” Yori guided them through to what looked like a buggy. Alan had to have Sam on his lap.

Alan relaxed against the seat, it was going to be a long day, he just knew it.


	2. The light before the tunnel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which Alan and Yori bond, and then things start to go very wrong.

The woman-program that Yori brought them to looked like she had never seen a child before.

She probably hadn’t, Alan had to remind himself. He hadn’t seen anything that looked like children as they drove. Sam had fallen asleep, making Yori concerned, but it meant it was easier for Alan to not only carry him into the elevator to the program woman’s apartment but also to change his clothes to something more program-like.

“Is he really okay?” Yori asked, kneeling to gently touch Sam’s forehead.

“It’s normal for children his age to take naps occasionally... sort of like shutting down non-essential systems so the main system can de-bug. He’ll wake up soon.” Alan watched her study Sam. “Can you tell me more about the situation?”

“Flynn copied Tron’s and my programming to help him set up the Grid. Flynn then created Clu to be the system administrator when he wasn’t here, Flynn wanted to make the perfect System... then one cycle, we discovered something new. Flynn called them ISOs, they weren’t programs or users, but a unique design of both.” Yori explained. “He was interested in them, but Clu thought they were things that could taint the Grid ... Tron was wary, but Clu wasn’t... we didn’t think he would do this.” Yori sighed. “Clu attacked Flynn and Tron defended him. Flynn tried to escape to the real world but Clu’s forces blew up the path to the return laser. Flynn barely survived that and had to go into hiding to recover.”

“How long ago was that?”

“In our time? A few of what you might call decades. Flynn will recover and age according to the real world time, we think.” Yori watched as Alan sank into the chair and removed his glasses.

Like that, he strongly resembled Tron, and that gave Yori the courage to reach out and gently touch his hand. “What’s wrong?”

“There’s a lot of ways this can go wrong if we’re not careful.” Alan sighed. “And you look like my wife.” He pulled away.

“Flynn said he liked to think of us as your siblings if that helps.” Yori offered. “Would that not make us part of your family unit?”

Alan seemed at war with himself for a moment, before nodding. “I suppose it would.” But he didn’t move. Yori thought she knew why.

“Tron looked like you. I miss him every single millicycle. You are not Tron, I know that, but you are upset, and I wish to give you some comfort. May I hold your hand?” Yori asked, and Alan nodded.

Yori gently gripped his hand in both of hers, and sent a small pulse of energy to him. “It will be alright. With three users in the grid, we can stop Clu before he gets any farther.”

“Is Tron really gone?” Alan asked softly.

“Tron was brought here to police the system, to keep it User friendly. When Clu turned on us, he had to get rid of Tron in order to do anything... the odds are very low for Clu to spare such a threat.” Yori closed her eyes and Alan gently gripped both of her hands in both of his.

“Are you in danger?”

“Clu can’t get rid of me, he needs me to run the laser.” Yori sighed. “He’s probably taken it over by now, so he’ll be looking for me.”

“How far is it to K- Flynn?”

“Not far. Just ... difficult. We better get going now.” Yori reluctantly pulled away.

“Alright. Sam, need you to get up buddy.” Alan gently shook Sam’s shoulder.

Sam grumbled, but perked up when Alan told him they were going to see his dad. He also woke up more when Yori gave them both something to drink.

The drink was odd in a way that didn’t taste like water and numbed the tongue. It also had the side effect of making Alan feel like he’d just had an espresso and Alan suddenly questioned the wisdom of giving any to Sam.

Getting into the elevator, Sam once again started asking questions.

“Where are we going? Can we see my dad’s place from here?”

“See that dark area?” Yori pointed out the elevator as they descended. “That’s considered the outlands, Flynn made a hidden spot he never told Clu or Tron about.”

“How do you know about it?”

“I pulled Flynn from the rubble, he told me so we could hide ...” Yori sighed. “I decided we needed information so I left him there, I only visit once in a while.”

That was not good. Kevin was a social person, despite his do it alone attitude, he did not do good on his own. And if he was in pain ... being left alone was the worst thing one could do.

“We’ll be rendezvousing with the ISO underground, they’ll be able to get us past the city limits.”

“These ISOs, are they dangerous?”

“No, just unknown. Flynn thinks they might be able to leave the system like he does.” Yori shrugged. “Clu thinks they’re parasites and has been campaigning for their destruction.”

Getting off the elevator and out of the building had been easy. And by the time they were on the road again, Alan thought they might be okay.

That was when the recognizers arrived, and Yori sped up.

“User take it, they’re looking for us.” Yori made a sound like a low growl that matched the engine. She jumped a barrier and Alan tightened his grip on Sam.

“Why us?”

“You look like Tron. That’s more than enough reason to detain you. And I’m with you.”

“And you were a well known couple.” Alan filled in the blank. “If Tron wasn’t derezzed, he’d presumably go straight to you.”

“And I just got a couple blank identification disks.” Yori glared up at the recognizers. “Hold on, we’re going off road.”

Sam did not like the way Uncle Alan was holding him, it was starting to hurt. The car went sideways down an incline and uncle Alan’s grip tightened.

Something exploded and the car jerked to one side.

“We’re going to have to run, up ahead is too narrow.” Ms. Yori yelled.

“Got it.” Uncle Alan was suddenly carrying him again, following Ms. Yori.

There was a tunnel up ahead, or what looked like a tunnel. Sam couldn’t be sure as he ended up looking up at the recognizers, just in time to see a couple of tanks appear, their turrets turning towards them.

“Uncle Alan, look out!” Sam yelled, and then the world exploded and he was falling through the air. He saw bits of the wall start to crumble and then Sam he hit the ground, inside the tunnel, just as the wall crumbled. He saw Uncle Alan fighting programs in red, but he didn’t see Ms. Yori, and then rocks blocked the tunnel, throwing him into darkness.


	3. The Tunnel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party has been split up, and things are going to get worse before they get better.

“Uncle Alan! Ms. Yori!” Sam called out, but he couldn’t hear anything outside. The lights on his outfit were just barely bright enough for him to see by. “Dad ...” Sam started to cry. He hated this feeling that he kept feeling ever since the adults told him Dad was missing. He wanted to go home and his life to make sense again. He wanted his dad back.

It took a little while before he stopped sobbing, and he was hiccuping as he calmed down to start thinking.

Ms. Yori said dad was in a place called the outlands. It was pretty far away. But maybe he’d be able to find help. He started walking away from the tunnel entrance.Eventually he’d have to find someone to take him to the outlands, but he needed to get out of the tunnel first.

After an unknown time spent walking through the dark, Sam felt like crying again. He’d come upon a fork in the tunnel and he didn’t know which way to go.

If he picked the wrong one, there could be monsters and they’d eat him.

But he couldn’t stay here.

“I wish someone could help.” Sam plopped down, the white lines on his clothes glowing brighter, and made the area light up as well. Out of the left tunnel, bits that had been lost or separated from their programs emerged to see what had caused the power surge that had woken them up.

“Yes?” They blinked their yes shape and circled around the tiny user in curiosity, and Sam wipes at his eyes.

He recognized them from his dad’s stories.

“You’re bits.” He blinked at them.

“Yes.” They hovered around him.

“I’m Sam. I’m looking for my dad, Kevin Flynn.”

That got a mixed reaction. Some bits said yes, others no, turning red and spiky.

“I don’t know what’s going on, just that it’s bad, but I want to find my dad, I want to go home.” Sam informed them.

Another mixed reaction from the bits, making them zip around him fast enough to make Sam dizzy. One shot back down their tunnel and returned with an older bit. One that hovered in front of him.

“Yes.” It said, and Sam felt more words in that. ‘Creator of my former program, your creator?’

“He’s my dad, so, yes?”

“Yes.” It purred slightly. “Yes. Yes.” It bobbed in the air, ‘I help. I follow Creator from old system.’

“Wow ... thanks.” Sam beamed as the bit brushed up against him like a pet. It floated away leading him to the right tunnel. “Thanks you, uh, bits!” Sam called to the bits behind him.

While the majority flashed their yes shape, a couple flashed their no shape, unhappy. A few followed him and the old bit, and Sam giggled at their antics.

He was still worried about his family, but he wasn’t alone anymore.

Sam hoped Uncle Alan was okay, those guys had looked Bad.

* * *

Alan was not okay. He had not thought about it before throwing Sam into the tunnel, but Yori had been zapped into a wall as she yelled at him to run and he, rather selfishly, didn’t want to see that happen to Sam.

Sending him into a tunnel that could potentially collapse was a reckless reaction to the situation but one he couldn’t regret as apparently, looking like Tron was a bit of a death sentence, judging by the reaction and yells of “Tron! Don’t let him escape!”. He couldn’t get to Yori, but he was able to steal something that he thought was a weapon but turned into a motorcycle that sent him zooming back out of the narrow area.

Yori said she would be safe, Clu wouldn’t kill her, but he and Sam did not have that security.

He needed to find where the tunnel exited. And he needed to find Kevin, who probably had a better idea of how this world worked.

Sam first, then Kevin. Unless something happened to Sam, in which case Alan would be bringing the entire grid down most likely with Kevin’s help.

Something blasted the road next to him, and Alan grimaced. He should probably lead them away before doubling back to find Sam.

Rescuing Yori would have to wait until after they found Kevin.

Alan swerved into a gap in the wall, wishing that he had a helmet and got a shock when one actually materialized around his head. He glanced down at the red lines of the bike, and managed to turn them and his suit lines blue.

Well, now he’d be able to blend in somewhat. He turned the lines on the bike and the suit white again. First things first, he needed to lead pursuit away from Sam. Then find a map. Hopefully Sam and Yori would be alright. 

* * *

Yori groaned slightly as she came to. Her entire body felt as if it had partially derezzed and her helmet had gone missing, leaving her hair in her face. Her hands were bound behind her, but she was in a rather comfortable chair.

“Yori, you lead us on quite the chase.” For a minute, she thought the voice was Flynn’s, before recognizing the gold lines as the glitch ‘helpfully’ brushed her hair back for her.

“Clu. What do you want?” Yori scoffed.

“Not much, just control of the laser, there’s a user attempting to manipulate the grid and ruin my hard work.” Clu sat across from her. “Also, who were those programs you were with? My informants insist one was Tron, but we both know that’s impossible.” He smiled at her. It would have been a nice smile, but something in his eyes gave it away.

Yori smiled back. “Tron’s user is in the system. Looking for the grid’s creator and he’s going to resurrect Tron.” A blatant lie, but one that kept Clu in the dark about Sam.

Clu had never liked Flynn spending time with his User family, and Yori didn’t know what he would do to Sam if he found out he was here. Alan, however, could take care of himself.

(She hoped Alan and her user would forgive her for telling Clu about Alan, but Clu would focus on what he thought was the biggest threat.)

“He’ll find that quite impossible.” Clu chuckled. “Now, as for you, there’s a very simple solution. Fitting for an older code program like yourself.”

Yori glared at him, but stayed silent. She had a feeling she knew what he was talking about.

“The less energy you have, the less you think independently. A very simple solution to your meddling.” Clu stood up and very gently tucked a few stray hairs behind her ear. “It won’t even hurt.” 

Yori blinked. She was back in the laser tower control room. 

Back? No, she’d never left it, this was where she was meant to be.

“Start the laser.” The Administrative Program ordered. 

“Beginning system’s check.” Yori intoned, screens flashing with numbers. 

“The portal is still open from previous firing, please advise.” A program spoke up.

“Acknowledged, running simulations.” Another spoke. “Calculating results.”

“Just fire the laser!” The Administrative Program snarled.

Yori noticed a problem. The laser was sending an error message that it was no longer in the correct position. A user would have to fix it.

“Don’t tell me there’s a problem, just fire it!” The Administrative Program ordered, not even looking at the screens.

Deep down inside, Yori felt a flicker of amusement. It was gone before she could think more on it. “Prepare Countdown.”

“Countdown starting.” Yet another program began the countdown. “Firing in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Firing.”

The portal blazed brighter. Error messages turned into shrieking alarms. 

“What happened?” The administrative program demanded. 

“Laser was not in proper position. User Error. The Portal is now stuck open.” Yori reported the errors. The administrative program back-handed her into a wall. 

“Fix it.” He demanded, and stormed off. Yori picked herself up and began to run the simulations required to begin to correct the portal and laser. Had anyone bothered looking at her, they would have briefly seen a look of vicious satisfaction on her face that vanished just as quickly as it came.

* * *

Clu stormed away from the tower in fury, once again, users were ruining his perfect system.

User Alan had always been spoken of highly by Flynn. He was Tron’s creator and given how difficult it was to crack the firewall’s code that respect was well earned. If he and that other renegade program found Flynn, there was a good chance of them winning.

The Rectifiers were still rather prone to errors but there were other options. The MCP had several good ideas for controlling the population, or at least, collecting wandering ones that were not where they were meant to be.

“Jarvis! Send out a message to all units, I want a curfew and for all programs wandering outside of designated sectors after that time to be detained. We’re looking for a rogue program that’s impersonating the deceased Tron. Any that try to resist, place them in the game arenas to fight until they are derezzed.”

“Yes sir, and the ISOs?”

“They are still a threat, and if this catches them as well send them to the games as well. At the very least they will provide entertainment instead of draining resources.” Clu ordered. Jarvis nodded and left to send out the message.

While he did that, Clu was going to have to continue to work on keeping the User outside of the grid away from any vulnerable systems. Whoever they were, they were not to be taken lightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I now need to add Bit to the characters, I’m also considering dipping into my limited knowledge of Tron Uprising for more characters... at least I know where I can find the episodes now. 
> 
> I’m not touching Tron 2.0 save for vague Easter eggs.


End file.
